Kelly Evans-Hullinger, M.D. is part of The Prairie Doc team of physicians and currently practices internal medicine in Brookings, South Dakota. Follow The Prairie Doc at www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc a medical Q&A show providing health information based on science, built on trust, streaming live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.
We are familiar with the scene on television and movies: a person clutches their chest and drops to the ground, unconscious. Another character starts chest compressions and help is summoned. Although cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, is often not accurately portrayed in such productions, it serves as a good reminder to all that CPR can save a life.
Cardiac arrest is a general term to describe …